Process of treating tobacco



United States Patent 3,338,248 PROCESS OF TREATING TOBACCO Charles Pavia, RED. 1, Box 244A, Luray, Va. 22835 No Drawing. Filed Aug. 27, 1964, Ser. No. 392,626 2 Claims. (Cl. 131--143) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention involves removing nicotine from tobacco by solvent extraction, including treatment with sodium bicarbonate, without adversely affecting flavor, fragrance and burning quality of the tobacco. The extracted tobacco is flavored by exposure to a smoke.

This invention relates to a process for treating tobacco, more particularly to a process for removing nicotine from tobacco, and for removing other water-soluble components from tobacco, and for improving the flavor, fragrance and burning qualities without adversely affecting or altering the remaining normal constituents which are required to maintain flavor, fragrance and burning qualities.

It has heretofore been proposed to remove nicotine from tobacco by immersion in boiling water for about 5 minutes and thereafter drying the tobacco. It has also been proposed to denicotinize tobacco by exposing it to open air and sunlight while moistened with Water and thereafter to thoroughly soak the so-treated leaves in pure water and thereafter slowly evaporate. It has further been proposed to subject and immerse the tobacco in hot water at a temperature below boiling and maintain same for a period of 48 hours, following which the liquor is drawn off and the tobacco is dried; it being advanced that such treatment eliminates in great measure the alkaloids and other compounds injurious to the human system. Also, it has been proposed to denicotinize tobacco by treatment with steam or by the evaporation of water obained by heating same in a closed receptacle, in the absence of air, at a temperature below boiling, preferably in the presence of a slight content of ammonia, it being proposed that repetition of the process with fresh ammonia water results in complete denicotinization of the tobacco. In another prior art proposal the tobacco is first subjected to steam, then to water, and then to mechanical pressure as by rollers for removal of the water with entrained and soluble matter. It is also known to immerse the tobacco with boiled water at room temperature for 5 to days, with water renewal about every 24 hours, following which the tobacco is submerged for about 12 hours in an infusion of tea in boiled water at room temperature for about 12 hours, following which the tobacco is washed with boiled water, the process being repeated as required for release of the nicotine content. As an alternate, after the last washing, the tobacco is again covered with boiled water and exposed to sunlight for 5 to 10 days, the water being changed every 24 hours, following which the tobacco is dried.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive and efiective process for the treatment of tobacco to remove nicotine therefrom.

A further object is to provide such a process which, in addition to effectively removing nicotine, will not adversely affect the flavor, fi'agrance or burning qualities of the treated tobacco but will improve these characteristics.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a process for removal of nicotine from tobacco of commercial cigarette grades which after treatment remains adapt-able for use in the production of cigarettes.

3,338,248 Patented Aug. 29, 1967 Ice These and other objects will be apparent from the description of the invention which follows.

Dried, ripe tobacco leaves preferably are exposed to the sun or to artificial sunlight, preferably for at least one days time, following which the dried tobacco leaves are immersed for about 3 days in a glass-lined vat containing fresh water at room temperatures. At the end of about 3 days the liquid and its soluble components and any residues are drained off for use as a byproduct in the preparation of nicotine, other alkaloid extracts and the like. The process of immersion and draining preferably is repeated.

Thereafter, the thus treated tobacco leaves are immersed in an open kettle, such as a steam-jacketed kettle, in fresh water at room temperature, preferably having dissolved therein sodium bicorbonate in an amount equal to about one to five percent, preferably about two percent by weight of the weight of the tobacco under treatment. The employment of the sodium carbonate is particularly preferred in the treatment of low grade tobaccos having a high nicotine content in excess of about 2%. It is known that high grade cigarette tobaccos have a nicotine content of about 1.7%. The water solution is heated up to about 180 F. but not at or beyond the boiling point, whereupon the treated tobacco is immediately removed from the water kettle and dried by any conventional drying method.

In a preferred embodiment, the thus treated wet tobacco is passed through a smoke house containing bagasse or sugar cane chips, which step also serves to dry the treated tobacco.

It has been found that the above-described method may be employed with conventionally cured tobacco as well as with dried, ripe tobacco.

It has been established that nicotine is a component which may be obtained from the dried leaves of tobacco Where it occurs to the extent of 2 to 8% combined with citric and malic acids.

Example 1 One pound commercial cured, cut, low grade tobacco, known to have a high nicotine content in excess of 6%, was immersed for 3 days in a glass-lined vat containing fresh water at room temperature. The liquid was drained oil? and set aside. The immersion process was repeated and again the liquid was drained oif and set aside.

A solution of flesh water having dissolved therein about 0.3 ounce sodium bicarbonate, in the form of commercial grade baking soda, was prepared in a steamjacketed kettle.

The tobacco was removed from the vat and immersed in said fresh water at room temperature in the steamjacketed kettle. The temperature was raised to 180 F. and the tobacco was removed immediately and dried at room temperature in an open tray.

Cigarettes were prepared from two samples of the sotreated tobacco by hand rolling. The cigarettes were regular size millimeters) and each weighed approximately 1 gram.

Cigarette smoking was carried out in a manner similar to that described by Bradford, Harlan and Hammer in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, vol. 28 (1936), pages 836839, under the title Nature of Cigarette Smoke, Technic of Experimental Smoking. Smoking of the cigarettes was performed with a four-place solenoidactuated mechanical smoking machine. Pufls of 35 milliliter volume and 2 seconds duration were taken at 1 ininute intervals until the cigarettes were burned to a predetermined 23 millimeter butt length.

The smoke passed through an absorption train consisting of a Kjeldahl flask containing 1 ml. of 0.5 N

3 alcoholic hydrochloric acid and ml. of alcohol and then through 2 bubble traps. The first bubbler contained 5 ml. of 0.5 N alcoholic hydrochloric acid. The second bubbler contained 5 ml. of 0.5 N aqueous hydrochloric acid.

At the conclusion of the run the smoke was allowed to settle for minutes. All portions of the smoke collection train were washed in the flask with a minimum of hot water and alcohol.

Nicotine was determined in accordance with the method described in Methods of Analysis of the Association of Oflicial Agricultural Chemists, eighth edition, 1955, page 66. The nicotine was steam distilled into dilute hydrochloric acid solution and precipitated with silicotungstic acid. The reagent was prepared by dissolving 120 grams of silicotungstic acid (4H O SiO l2WO 22H O) TABLE I Nicotine content: Mg./ g. tobacco 1st determination 0.24 2nd determination 0.28

Average 0.26

Expressed to the second decimal place the above average value is equivalent to 0.03 percent nicotine by weight of tobacco.

While the present invention has been described with particular reference to a specified example, it will be understood that the invention is not limited thereto but is to be limited only as set forth in the appended C aims.

I claim:

1. The method of treating tobacco to remove nicotine therefrom and to flavor same which comprises soaking the tobacco in water at room temperature for about three days time, separating the water-soaked tobacco from the resulting solution, immersing the resulting tobacco in water having dissolved therein sodium bicarbonate in an amount equal to about two to five percent by weight of the Weight of tobacco being treated to a temperature in the range of about F. to 212 F., immediately removing the heated tobacco therefrom and thereafter drying same and finally subjecting the tobacco to a smoke selected from the group consisting of bagasse and sugar cane smoke.

2. The method of treating tobacco to remove nicotine therefrom and to flavor the same which comprises soaking the tobacco in water at room temperature for about three days time, separating the water soaked tobacco from the resulting solution, immersing the so treated tobacco in Water having dissolved therein sodium bicarbonate, this treatment being effected at a temperature in the range of about 180 F. to 212 and immediately removing the heated tobacco therefrom, thereafter drying the same and finally subjecting the treated tobacco to a smoke selected from the group consisting of bagasse smoke and sugar cane smoke.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,934,073 4/1960 Killian 131-443 X 3,145,717 8/1964 Osborne et a1. l3ll40 FOREIGN PATENTS 832,991 4/ 1960 Great Britain.

SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner.

MELVIN D. REIN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. THE METHOD OF TREATING TOBACCO TO REMOVE NICOTINE THEREFROM AND TO FLAVOR SAME WHICH COMPRISES SOAKING THE TOBACCO IN WATER AT ROOM TEMPERATURE FOR ABOUT THREE DAYS TIME, SEPARATING THE WATER-SOAKED TOBACCO FROM THE RESULTING SOLUTION, IMMERSING THE RESULTING TOBACCO IN WATER HAVING DISSOLVED THEREIN SODIUM BICARBONATE IN AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO ABOUT TWO TO FIVE PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF THE WEIGHT OF TOBACCO BEING TREATED TO A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 180*F. TO 212*F., IMMEDIATELY REMOVING THE HEATED TOBACCO THEREFROM AND THEREAFTER DRYING SAME AND FINALLY SUBJECTING THE TOBACCO TO A SMOKE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF BAGASSE AND SUGAR CANE SMOKE. 